And u.S. Forces are right there again in a race against time, part of the effort to save families in the philippines. Millions of people fought against perhaps the most powerful storm ever to hit land. The winds leaving behind so much devastation, one philippines official said tonight god must have been somewhere else. Rescue teams now racing to help. Abc's gloria rivera is reporting from the city that took a direct hit. Reporter: We joined the choppers carrying bags of rice, below us devastation, home after home shattered, families living in rubble without food or water. Police cannot come fast enough. New images of the monster up close. American storm chaser jim eds witness the moment of impact first hand as it crashed ashore. It blew hard. It blew for hours and didn't let up. Reporter: At one point jumping into a swimming pool to dodge the deadly wind, hurdling debris through the air. Areas cling to their roofs. Rescued families floated on mattresses. Waves smacked the coast as a wall of water pushed inland reaching 20 feet high, blib rating every structure in its past and launching ships into the town. The city of tacloban in the bull's eye. An 18-year-old american simon kruzban was there. Dead bodies, hundreds. We were talking to a friend that lives in the neighborhood next door. Yeah, apparently like 50 little kids got sucked away. It's just horrible. Reporter: There is very little here to help these survivors. People taking what's left in this now leveled supermarket, hoping it's enough. Fears of what's coming next is on every face. We're told there actually used to be a road through what is now that destruction zone. Now the concern is the smell of gas in the air. That's from vehicles like this one slammed on their side or upside down. You see these everywhere. We made our way through the shattered street to the airport. This was the airport before. This is it now. Throngs of survivors desperately wait at the gates for food and water. We're so hungry. I'm thirsty. Reporter: Inside a woman cannot wait for evacuation. She had swum and clung to a post through the storm. Now in the rubble she gave birth to a little girl. Gloria rivera, abc news, tacloban. As we said here at home americans are mobilizing to send help halfway around the world. In pittsburgh neighbors gathering medical supplies. In los angeles u.S. Veterans setting out for the storm zone to try to help on the ground. Abc's chief foreign correspondent terry moren is on the ground to get help there fast. Terry. Reporter: Dawn is just coming up here at the military base in manila. This is going to be one of the main staging areas for the massive relief effort under way so desperately needed. Take a look at this photo from the disaster zone, children holding up signs pleading for food, water, help of any kind. Right now it's the u.S. Marines doing the heavy lifting. They have five giant cargo aircraft like this one right behind me and 215 marines in the initial deployment carrying all kinds of supplies, forklifts, generators, water, medical supplies, food. Sanitation and hygiene supplies as well to fight the looming public health crises that faces this country. The usaid has pledged $20 million. The united nations sending out a flash appeal for help around the world. Make no mistake, they understand that ery hour counts. Diane? Monitoring the relief. Thank you, terry.

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